


when we're fire

by ultmyouimina



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: F/F, Soulmate AU, reincarnation???, tw:choking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-08
Updated: 2018-06-01
Packaged: 2019-01-11 00:46:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12311310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ultmyouimina/pseuds/ultmyouimina
Summary: greek mythology au but momo is the only human because she accidentally summons a goddess





	1. one

**Author's Note:**

> ***i follow the general idea of greek mythology but change/ come up with some parts myself so it's not completely factual
> 
> also some of them have the god's names instead of goddesses (e.g nayeon is hades but i can't help it because it's tied to their character im sorry :/ but i made it so that it's more part of their title than their actual names so they still get called by their actual names)

nayeon purses her lips and drums her fingers on her pitchfork, staring at the girl before her.

 

the candles have all blown out by now, they always do whenever she arrives. the girl seems taken aback, which is surprising since she must've known what she was getting herself into. nayeon watches as she stumbles backwards, groping at the walls behind her for the door, all the while keeping her eyes on nayeon.

 

nayeon tuts, striding forward to meet the girl.

 

"a-are you-"

 

nayeon cuts her off, leaning an arm atop the prongs of her pitchfork as she assesses the girl.

 

"please, call me nayeon. i'd prefer that name, but you should know that i only ever give out my real name to pretty girls like yourself. a man tried to ask me for my real name once, and i cast him down to the deepest pit in hell."

 

nayeon expected it to be reassuring, this display of friendliness towards the girl. but if anything, the girl looks even more afraid now. perhaps nayeon's standard for friendliness was different from the humans, a century later and she was still as bad at introductions.

 

the girl doesn't respond, her hand is inching towards the doorknob, a telltale sign of wanting to escape. except nayeon won't let her go so easily.

 

"do you regret bringing me here?" she asks, regarding the girl with a piercing stare.

 

the girl seemed to be stunned speechless, unable to do much but nod at the question. nayeon was used to it, she tended to have that effect on people. it was infuriating really, she was a nice person. she just got stuck with the worst job.

 

"well that's really a pity, i usually let people go if they regret it since hell is a little too overcrowded right now, what with souls of the damned and such. but a pretty girl like you doesn't come by often, i'm usually summoned by sleazy men or filthy sinners, so i can't let you go now can i? what's your name then?"

 

the girl doesn't want to respond, but nayeon had pointed her pitchfork at her face, so she guessed she didn't really have much of a choice.

 

"my name is momo."

 

she's glad that her voice didn't shake when she answered, at least she had a shred of dignity left in her. nayeon smiles, crooning the name softly as she reaches out to lift momo's chin.

 

"cute name, you're just my type."

 

momo didn't know whether to laugh or cry.  she'd never thought hades would be a girl, but then again she didn't think hades would be a lesbian trying to hit on her either. maybe if nayeon liked her enough she'd let momo go.

 

"please let me go," she begs, pouting and pushing her chin further into nayeon's hands in an effort to appeal to her.

 

unfortunately for momo, she had too much appeal apparently. nayeon squeals, using her other hand to cup momo's face as well.

 

"i'm going to keep you forever, momo." nayeon trills, her voice high pitched and reedy, full of excitement.

 

momo doesn't reply, she's too preoccupied with the way nayeon's pitchfork still stands on it's own without being held, glowing a deep shade of red. nayeon catches her staring, and releases one hand to stroke her pitchfork lovingly.

 

"brutus is a real beauty isn't he?" she swoons, gazing lovingly at the three pronged stick in front of her.

 

momo was even more bewildered now, hades was more bizarre than she thought. a lesbian who named her pitchfork brutus was trying to hit on her? wild.

 

"enough small talk, we're going to hell now!" nayeon chirps, clapping her hands in excitement. she circles long slender fingers firmly around one of momo's wrists and the other around her pitchfork, and then they're gone.

 

it _burns_. that's the only coherent thought momo can form as they travel downwards. on the way down she hears moans and screams and wailing, loud and roaring in her ears. it feels like a whole year of torture, the burning and the noise and the smell. she can't see anything either, because everything around her is up in flames and smoke is everywhere. the only thing she knows is that nayeon's hands are still around her wrist, keeping her tight and close.

 

it burns like absolute hell, and then it's over. the painful assault on all her senses gives way to sweet deliverance, and she finds that she's standing in a clean room, free from noise and stench and fire. in fact, the room looks very much akin to those on earth.

 

nayeon grins at her, stepping away for a second to deposit her pitchfork in a glass case.

 

"like it? this is my home."

 

momo really was learning a lot of things about the underworld today.

 

"you don't live in a lair?" she asks, confused as she takes in the absurd normalcy of the place she's in. she could even trick herself into thinking she was still on earth if it weren't for the fact that hades herself was right in front of her.

 

nayeon scoffs, plopping herself down on a couch and draping her legs over the armrest.

 

"please, you humans really don't give me enough credit. i'm the queen of the underworld, i can afford to spoil myself. you wouldn't believe how much warlocks will pay for the souls of these condemned people."

 

she pats the space next to her, an invitation for momo to sit. momo sits, planting herself as far as possible out of nayeon's reach, deciding that complying with all of nayeon's wishes while maintaining a safe distance would be the fastest way out of here.

 

"now momo, tell me why you summoned me."

 

momo swallows, wondering how to phrase things nicely. the truth was, she hadn't been calling for nayeon. for weeks she'd been convinced she was being plagued by a ghost of some sort in her home, so she'd bought an ouija board for fifteen dollars (the cheapest one they had) to try to drive it away. in retrospect, it wasn't the best decision, because now she was stuck in hell with an alarmingly attractive queen of the underworld who had taken an interest in her. she weighed her odds, deciding that lying was better than hurting her feelings. she didn't really want to be in any mythological blacklist anytime soon, she was quite sure she'd be dead in a second if nayeon wished.

 

"i, uh, wanted to sell my soul to you." she lies, picking awkwardly at the lint on her hoodie.

 

nayeon hums, inspecting her nails lazily.

 

"you're not lying are you? liars go hell you know," nayeon quips.

 

momo took her chances, there was no way nayeon would know she was lying anyway.

 

"i'm not lying, i swear. i really was going to sell my soul to you."

 

nayeon smiles brightly at momo then, hopping off the couch and offering a hand out to her.

 

"that's interesting, i've never had a pretty girl do it before. when should we get started?"

 

momo blinks up at nayeon, completely confused.

 

"get started on what?"

 

nayeon's smile only gets brighter as she answers, her lips curling upwards to reveal a pair of large front teeth.

 

"get started on selling your soul to me of course."

 

__________________________________________

 

momo was sweating. she hated sweating, it made her skin feel weird and sticky. she couldnt help it though, not when she was strapped facedown on nayeon's bed, the girl humming quietly to herself as she fiddled with something on her desk.

 

"will it hurt?" momo asks. her pain tolerance was remarkably low, or maybe she just psyched herself into thinking things hurt. either way, she wasn't sure she could stand having her soul harvested or whatever you call it.

 

nayeon turns around brandishing a cylindrical tube, flashing a bright smile as she shakes her head.

 

"you won't feel a thing. i've done this a thousand times before."

 

she steps behind momo, brushing her hair over her shoulder to expose the back of her neck. momo shudders at the touch, squeezing her eyes shut as she braces herself for whatever pain was coming. she scrunches her nose up, pleading silently to any celestial being who was listening that if she survived this she'd never do anything bad again.

 

"i'm pretty sure i'm underage or something, you shouldn't be doing this."

 

nayeon laughs, her lips grazing the shell of momo's ear as she leans down to whisper.

 

"oh momo, we're in hell. everyone here has done things they shouldn't."

 

momo cringes, shying away from nayeon's touch as she grasps at the bedsheets. (she's grasped at her fair share of sheets but in an entirely different context so this was still entirely new to her)

 

"please make it quick," she mumbles.

 

nayeon was right, she didn't feel a thing. a light pressure on the back of her neck, then it was gone.

 

"done." nayeon announces, releasing momo's wrists from where they had been strapped down.

 

momo stands, rubbing her wrists woefully. she was sure her mother would kill her if she knew momo had just given her soul to hades. then again, she reckoned she'd never be able to go back on earth anyway which was a pity, since she didn't have anything here. not even a new set of clothes.

 

momo figured she could try her luck at benefitting from this at least, so she tries to strike some kind of bargain as nayeon continues to fiddle with the cylindrical tube.

 

"so do i, uh, get anything from this whole selling my soul thing? like some clothes maybe?"

 

nayeon turns back, grinning at momo as she replies.

 

"you can have anything you want, momo. they're all yours because you're  _mine_  now."

 

it was a little too intense for momo, the way nayeon delivered her speech. she just wanted to know if she could get a new set of clothes, not some grand proclaimation from nayeon.

 

"you mean me and the thousand other people you said you've done this on? that's a tough crowd to share with." momo jokes, trying to ease her discomfort at the way nayeon had emphasised on the word mine.

 

nayeon blushed at this, clearing her throat and looking down before mumbling that it "wasn't exactly like that".

 

__________________________________________

 

an essential part of living in the underworld, especially since momo struck nayeon as someone who would accidentally slip and fall into the river lethe or trip and fall into the depths of tartarus, was to know your way around.

 

as such, nayeon takes it upon herself to give momo an extensive tour of the underworld.

 

they go to the entrance of the underworld, passing a whole horde of beasts on the way. cerberus, centaurs, gorgons, hydras, chimera and harpies. momo makes a mental note of their names as nayeon rattles them off. who knows, she might need them in the future. the beasts are friendly enough when nayeon is around, but when her back is turned momo swears she feels them snapping at her ankles. shuddering, she clings onto nayeon tighter. they meet a man, although momo could hardly classify him as one. he's haggard looking, and the living manifestation of the expression "skin and bone". on his frame hangs what looks a lot like a potato sack (a pitiful excuse for clothing) and he has a filthy matted beard that hangs down to his waist. and his eyes! they weren't even eyes really, but hollow orbs that crackled with fire. momo doesn't really like the look of him, but nayeon is absolutely delighted to see him.

 

"momo, this is charon, the best subject in the underworld! he takes the poor souls across the river, this place would be nothing without him."

 

momo ducks her head politely, offering charon a small smile as a greeting. he ignores momo, bowing briefly to nayeon before he shuffles around in his gently rocking boat, muttering about gold coins and how he never gets paid enough.

 

the landscape of the underworld is mostly barren, until they come to a stop in front of a panel of men. the men look a lot more like apparitions, fuzzy around the edges and when momo stops blinking for a moment she realises that they're constantly fading in and out of sight. she was sure she knew who they were, the men who judged the souls entering the underworld. nayeon didn't bother with introductions this time, rushing momo along to a dreary looking field.

 

"the fields of asphodel," nayeon says, gesturing to the greying land before them.

  
the men, women and children there seemed to be greying too, with the way they tottered about aimlessly. it was sad, how one had not done much wrong in their lives but yet had not been significant enough to be admitted into elysium.

 

they walk further north before they reach another place. this time it's bright and colorful, full of light and the sounds of laughter. elysium. if anything, momo really hoped she'd end up here. she didn't fancy idling away in the fields of asphodel and she definitely didn't want to be thrown into tartarus.

 

nayeon seems to sense this, and she pats momo on the back to comfort her.

 

"you'll never end up in any of these places, you're living with me in  _our house_."

 

it was nice, knowing she'd secured a good spot in the land of the dead. she wouldn't have to worry about plans for the afterlife now, she just wished she called her insurance agent to terminate her life insurance contract before leaving earth. 

 

it was a little disconcerting though, the way nayeon stressed on the idea of them as an inseparable pair. living in the underworld was something she tried to remain indifferent towards, not really showing much resistance to being forcibly rooted here. it didn't mean she wanted it to be a long term thing though, she really missed the comfort and familiarity of her own house and didn't really consider the prospect of spending her life underground a very inviting one.

 

she takes momo along to see the rivers of the underworld, cautioning her against them.

 

"you must never go within a foot of the river lethe. i forbid it." nayeon warns, staring intently into momo's eyes to emphasise her point.

 

"and don't think even about going anywhere near the phlegethon either. it leads straight into tartarus and i'm the only one who's ever gotten out of there alive. cocytus is harmless enough, if you want your eardrums blasted clean off you could consider having a swim there."

 

momo decided that nayeon valued the whole keeping momo safe and alive thing, so she risked a snide remark.

 

"maybe you should write the directions to cocytus down for me, considering you like to talk."

 

surprisingly enough, nayeon throws her head back and lets out a laugh. momo didn't expect such a reaction to her less than funny joke, but then again there probably wasn't much humour down in the underworld anyway.

 

momo feels comfortable for a second, and forgets the claustrophobic setting of the place she's in. nayeon's laugh is like a breath of fresh air, she laughs with careless abandon, her mouth open wide to let out peals of laughter. it's the best side of nayeon that momo has seen so far, a bit of the goddess' true nature shining through her intimidating aura and dignified appearance.

 

they come to a garden this time, and all semblance of joy is sucked back into nayeon's being, replaced once again with a mask of coolness. the garden is lush and colorful, bursting with ripe fruit and filled with blooming flowers. it's the prettiest place momo has laid eyes on in the underworld, and she's immediately entranced. there are trees all around, most strikingly those with tons of bright red fruit on them. momo strains to get a closer look, pressing her face close into the chain link fence surrounding it since nayeon refuses to let her into the garden. she recognises the fruit- pomegranate.

 

"is this-?"

 

"persephone's garden," nayeon finishes, a twinge of wistfulness in her voice.

 

"where is she?"

 

"i sent her back to her mother. she was unhappy here."

 

"but she ate the pomegranate seeds! she's not allowed to leave isn't she?"

 

nayeon's face hardens at this, turning away from momo as she answers.

 

"i had to let her go because i loved her."

 

its hard for momo to speak after that, because the iciness of nayeon's disposition seems to thicken by threefold.

 

they come to another field. this time it's absolutely dreary and miserable looking. if she thought the fields of asphodel were bad, this one looked a lot like what charon would look like if he were a field and not a man. the people inside do not move, they stay rooted to the spot and gaze into the distance, as though waiting for someone.

 

"the mourning fields. these people wasted their lives looking for love, and they will continue to look for it even in the afterlife. do you know the story of soulmates?"

 

momo shakes her head.

 

"a long time ago, men had two faces, four arms and four legs. they were powerful, but were a threat to the gods. so they were torn apart and cast far away from one another, destined to spend their whole lives seeking their other half. these people spent their whole lives searching, but never found who they were looking for. their only hope of redemption is if their other half were also searching, and also cast into the fields of mourning-only then they would be reunited. some people have it bad though, their souls are tied with that of a goddess. we keep ourselves busy enough, but the humans will keep searching and they will never find us."

 

momo is oddly unsettled by the story, an uncomfortable knot forming in her stomach. she decides to change the subject, and also address the fact that she missed snacktime.

 

"is it time to eat?"

 

back on earth, she would've long since been snacking. instead, she was stuck in a sweltering hot place that seemed to go on endlessly. the worst part? she had to walk. she didn't hate exercising, she liked it actually. it was just that the underworld was ridiculously and unfathomably huge. she wasn't sure what they ate down here in the underworld, but at this point she would've gladly eaten rats if she had to.

 

nayeon laughs, placing a hand on the small of momo's back to guide her back home.

 

"if you want to eat then it's time for you to meet my family."


	2. two

mount olympus is unlike anything momo has ever seen. grand towering castles of gold stand upon the clouds, with gleaming stairs leading to almost any part of the vast place. sunlight falls on every part of the place, or maybe sunlight itself radiated from the place alone. maybe this was what humans called the sun, momo couldn't tell. it's pristine, no words coming to mind that can describe it when momo stands in awe of the home of the goddesses. she can only imagine what lies inside, when the exterior itself is breathtaking. if there was one thing she was sure of, it was that this place definitely belonged to powerful people.

 

nayeon is patient, allowing momo time to wander around and explore the area. it's amusing actually, watching momo wonder at everything that's all just normalcy for her. she walks quietly beside momo, letting her take the lead for this two man (or rather, one woman one goddess) exploration of mount olympus. she lets momo walk around freely, not saying much except pointing out various landmarks of the place. mount olympus is safe unlike the underworld, so nayeon worries less about momo roaming around aimlessly.

 

"that's the garden," nayeon chuckles. "i used to play there all day with chaeyoung when we were younger, you know, before the whole being delegated to rule the underworld thing."

 

her tone is light, yet wistful with undertones of regret, as if she were talking about something she missed very dearly.

 

"chaeyoung?" momo asks, wondering which of nayeon's sisters it was.

 

as if on cue, a tiny girl emerges from the castle doors and comes barrelling towards them.

 

"NAYEON!" she screams, rising to tiptoes to throw her arms snugly around nayeon's neck.

 

nayeon laughs, both arms coming around chaeyoung's waist to lift her off the ground. she spins her once, twice then releases her again.

 

"you haven't grown an inch at all chaeng, are you sure you're related to tzuyu? or any of us at all?"

 

chaeyoung snorts, smacking nayeon lightly on the arm. she finally notices momo, who's scuffing her shoes on the floor awkwardly as she watches the exchange.

 

"who's she?" chaeyoung asks, nodding her head in momo's direction.

 

"a friend. her name is momo."

 

chaeyoung raises her eyebrows at this, seemingly confused as she frowns at nayeon. nevertheless, she welcomes momo with open arms. (she literally does, throwing her arms around momo the same way she did to nayeon)

 

momo steps back to appraise chaeyoung as chaeyoung speaks to nayeon. she's been a little excited to meet other goddesses (albeit nervous), but chaeyoung looks nothing like one. she's dressed like one of those art students she sees back on earth, those who always have a pencil tucked behind their ear, always carrying some variation of coffee, and always with some philosophical quote at hand to rattle off at moment's notice.

 

chaeyoung seems... genuine. there's none of that superiority that comes with being a goddess. instead, a bright youthful energy radiates from her, giving her an aura of friendliness. she looks young, her features look a little underdeveloped and nothing like nayeon's, but they don't look anything but beautiful. her eyes shine the way a playful child's would, and it looks as though there's always a small smile on her lips. there's something about her that momo can't quite put her finger on but she decides that she does like chaeyoung very much, and that she wouldn't mind spending time with her at all.

 

chaeyoung does her best to make sure momo doesn't feel left out. she links arms with her as they walk towards the palace, giving her a brief introduction.

 

"humans call me apollo. goddess of music, art, poetry and light among other things. you'll meet my twin sister artemis soon, she's the goddess of the hunt and she's really good."

 

chaeyoung finishes the introduction all in one breath, beaming brightly at momo after that. momo smiles back, it's hard to stay awkward around chaeyoung when she's so warm and bright. she undoubtedly was the goddess of light.

 

if momo were intimidated by the place itself, it was nothing compared to how she was feeling now standing in front of the heavy gold doors. it was engraved with patterns of pretty flowers and across the middle were the symbols of the olympians who lived on mount olympus. she could identify most of them, although nayeon didn't have one since she lived in the underworld now.

 

it opened automatically, swinging inwards to reveal a shining interior. it looked a little like the sistine chapel, but a thousand times more glorious and a thousand times more lively. something about the place was filled with the same energy that chaeyoung radiated, bright and pure. there were paintings on the walls, mostly depicting the battles that the gods had fought. chaeyoung proudly declared that she'd overseen most of the designing of the castle, and that it was one of her greatest pride and joys.

 

momo stood in wonder in the hallway, allowing herself time to take it all in. it was better than any work of art she'd ever seen, and she said as much to chaeyoung which earned her a tight hug from the small girl.

 

nayeon snorts and remarks that it's "nice that they're getting along but could they please not forget that she's here too".

 

the trio enter the dining room, a small and cosy room that's as spotlessly clean as the rest of the castle. around the room there are immaculately dressed maid servants stationed at each corner, their hair braided prettily without a strand out of place. in all honesty, momo is surprised that such a small room existed in the huge castle, since the castle itself was probably twenty times the size of the entire apartment block she lived in and yet this dining room were the size of her own at home.

 

a long banquet table stands in the middle of the room, the places already set. the table is made of marble, with various flower filled vases adorning it. momo counts nine places, four on each side and one at the head of the table.

 

the seats are already filled by unfamiliar faces. chaeyoung hops over to sit beside a tall girl, and the only remaining seats are opposite one another on the table. momo clutches desperately at nayeon's wrist, hoping she'll do something so momo wouldn't have to sit next to a virtual stranger (especially one who was a goddess). nayeon takes the hint, playfully pushing the closest girl off her chair.

 

"go sit with jeongyeon, sana."

 

sana faces nayeon and pouts, and momo is completely blown away.

 

sana's eyes were bright and glowing, with the way they shined under the dining room lights. she radiated beauty, there was no other way to describe it. everything about her screamed perfection, from her delicate features to her flawless skin. momo was especially fascinated by sana's nose, her eyes tracing over the sharp curve of it over and over. (she smells amazing too) momo isn't sure why, but she feels an overwhelming urge to kiss sana.

 

nayeon notices momo staring, and stomps on her foot to snap her out of it. momo yelps, jumping back a little as sana smirks at her.

 

"i'm sana, or aphrodite or whatever. you can call me sana though." she introduces with a bright smile, holding out her hand for momo to shake. momo almost swoons at her voice, so clear and sweet. she lifts a trembling hand to shake sana's and positively melts, leaning into nayeon for support.

 

"get a grip," nayeon mutters as she struggles to hold up momo who suddenly seems to have lost the use of her bones.

 

sana laughs, giving momo's shoulder a playful shove before going round to the other side of the table to take a seat. momo's relieved, sinking into the chair and keeping her eyes fixed on her empty plate in embarrassment.

 

nayeon sits too, ignoring the expectant stares on her. everyone's waiting for her to explain why she'd brought a human into their home, but they're all well-mannered enough to not ask while momo's here.

 

the introductions continue over lunch, and momo finds that they're all nice enough and also extremely hospitable.

 

there's tzuyu, or artemis, the goddess of the hunt. she's the tall girl that chaeyoung's clinging to, and looking at them side by side momo can hardly believe they're twins. tzuyu is quiet, and she spends most of the time smiling fondly at chaeyoung and the others instead of speaking. but even momo doesn't mistake this introvertedness for weakness. everything about tzuyu screams strength and power, the way she carries herself makes momo sure of the fact that she's extremely skilled at what she does.

 

directly opposite momo is sana, and beside sana is another girl whom she supposed was jeongyeon, given nayeon's earlier statement. jeongyeon has short hair, but despite the boyish cut there's something about the gentleness of her features which remain undoubtedly feminine. momo deduces that she's motherly, from the way she frets over nayeon's shirtsleeves almost dipping themselves into the gravy, or the way chaeyoung goes dangerously close to tzuyu's face with a knife in hand. throughout the meal she watches over the other girls, keeping an eye on them to make sure they're always safe. jeongyeon tells momo that she's the goddess athena, goddess of wisdom, craft and battle strategy. she speaks matter of factly, shooting momo a grin before returning to devour her plate of food. momo watches her eat with gusto, and looks back at her own plate which she'd already scraped clean and refilled twice. she knows she'll get along just fine with jeongyeon.

 

beside jeongyeon is a girl who oozes a calm and quiet aura. she looks shy and withdrawn although there are moments where the ice breaks and she reveals a goofy side of herself. on the occassions where momo happens to catch her smiling or laughing, her eyes take on the shape of crescents and her lips part to reveal a little silver tooth. she has a gummy smile, one that gives her a childlike appearance whenever it surfaces. shes beautiful, and carries herself with grace from the way she eats to the way she speaks. like tzuyu, momo knows not to confuse this quietness with weakness. she's sure that mina holds in her hands much power, and that she was certainly a person who shouldn't be dismissed easily. sure enough, mina turns out to be poseidon, goddess of the sea, earthquakes and horses. (although the gleaming trident standing next to her was enough of a giveaway)

 

  
next to mina sits a pale looking girl. despite having fair skin, a healthy glow adorns her cheeks and her smile is extremely bright. small flowers are braided into her hair, and although she's a goddess she's a little goofy. mina quietly pointed out a streak of mud on the pale goddess's thigh, which momo didn't miss. she introduces herself as dahyun, or demeter, goddess of the earth, agriculture and fertility. she explains that she'd come from helping out at the annual harvest, hence the mud on her legs, which made momo laugh. she didn't know that the goddesses got down and dirty too, maybe they weren't all high and mighty like she'd imagined.

 

at the very head of the table was a girl who oozed confidence and authority, yet had a kind face. she behaved in a motherly manner just like jeongyeon, and was clearly the one in charge here. her eyes were huge, that was the first thought momo had as she got a proper look at her face. it was very doll-like and feminine, but her features looked fragile and soft. although she's the one in charge, she spares no thought in taking part in the playful banter at the table, only drawing the line when dahyun tries to initiate a food fight. she tells momo to call her jihyo, but introduces herself as hera, queen of the goddesses and the goddess of marriage, women, the sky and the stars.

 

the eight girls before her are stunningly pretty, all with the same ageless beauty and delicate features and momo starts to feel self conscious in her old worn out hoodie. she slows her pace of eating, picking instead at the food she'd had so much appetite for just minutes ago. nayeon looks at her in silent question but momo shakes her head, mouthing that it's nothing before continuing to push the food around her plate.

 

nayeon notices the way momo's picking uncomfortably at her hoodie, and seems to understand what's going through her mind. she reaches out to squeeze momo's hand reassuringly, leaning in to whisper in her ear.

 

"you're the prettiest girl in this room," she says, quietly enough that only momo hears it.

 

momo feels comforted by it, especially since nayeon sounds somewhat genuine. she squeezes back and lets go of nayeon's hands, continuing her assault on her plate of food as her appetite returns.

 

momo was hardly paying attention to the conversation between the goddesses, so she's startled that jihyo addresses her as she reaches for the potatoes.

 

"so momo, how much did you pay nayeon to bring you all the way here for lunch?" she asks jokingly, although no one misses the real meaning behind her question.

 

_why did nayeon bring a human into the home of goddesses?_

 

momo chokes, her hand reluctantly drawing back from the potatoes to grip the edges of her seat.

 

"uh, my soul," she stutters out, laughing awkwardly and avoiding eye contact as she digs her fingernails deeper into the cushion of the seat.

 

there's a shocked silence, although she swears she hears a gasp.

 

nayeon's keeping her head down, her hand reaching for momo's under the table. she squeezes it tightly, a silent message for momo.

 

_why did you say that?!?_

 

momo squeezes back.

 

_what else was i supposed to say?_

 

momo is sure nayeon's about to pop her hand clean off her wrist, when jeongyeon interrupts, clearing her throat as she stands.

 

"can i have a word outside?" she asks nayeon, her eyes narrowing as she catches sight of the pair holding hands. her tone is cordial and polite, yet a frightening edge to it unsettles momo. nayeon seems to sense that jeongyeon means business, and she sighs, letting go of momo and scraping her chair back to stand as well.

 

the pair of them exit the dining hall, jeongyeon with quick and brisk steps while nayeon lags behind, as though she doesn't want to speak.

 

the remaining goddesses stare at momo intently and curiously, as though they're picking her apart in their minds. momo is uncomfortable, so much more so since nayeon isn't in the room with her anymore. she feels as though she's being dissected by the 6 pairs of eyes, and the tension in the air is palpable. she scratches her head awkwardly, choosing to make eye contact with chaeyoung as she asks for directions to the washroom.

 

chaeyoung still seems to be in a daze as she answers, her eyes never leaving momo's face even as she points out the way.

 

"down the hall, make a left, third door from the right." she mumbles.

 

momo mutters out a word of thanks, scurrying out of the room as quickly as she can.

 

she's never been very good with directions, so she repeats them to herself as she goes along.

 

"down the hall, make a left, third door from the right. down the hall, make a left, third door from the right. down the hall make a right, third door from the right."

 

she stops at the end of the hallway, suddenly confused. was it a left now or a right? chaeyoung had mentioned both left and right, she just didn't know which came first.

 

i'm right handed, she reasons, so right goes first. with that, she turns right and counts three doors from the left.

 

her hand is on the doorknob, about to twist it open when she hears voices. one of them is clearly nayeon's, so the other one was probably jeongyeon's. they're arguing over something, momo can't hear it well so she carefully places her ear on the door, squeezing her eyes shut as she strains to eavesdrop.

 

"it's not a big deal," nayeon says.

 

"it is! you know it is, nayeon. are you sure you did the right thing? you know you don't get second chances."

 

"listen, i know what i'm doing jeongyeon, i had a feeling so i followed it."

 

"a feeling?!? you took her soul because of a feeling you had? does that even make sense to you?"

 

nayeon's voice is urgent this time when she answers.

 

"i know jeongyeon, but listen, when i took her soul, the tube was empty. you know what that means jeongyeon."

 

momo backs away from the door, her mind reeling from what she'd heard. it was empty? what did it mean? did it mean she had no soul?

 

momo was confused, but she knew she had to get out of the hall. she'd watched enough television dramas to know that lurking around after eavesdropping never led to anything good. she walks back to the end of the previous hallway, taking a left this time as she tries to process the information.

 

momo remembers nayeon fiddling with that long cylindrical tube, but the tube was empty. so why didn't nayeon say anything?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's no zeus here i used hera bc technically like half of them would be zeus's children


	3. three

momo's already seated back in the dining hall when jeongyeon and nayeon returns.

 

jihyo, sensing the tension in the room, gestures for the maidservants to clear the plates. they work quickly, eager to finish so that the goddesses will leave the room. they too, from watching the exchange during lunch, know that something's up. one of the maidservants in particular sneers at the unfinished food on momo's plate, turning her nose up at it as she picks up the plate like it's a diseased animal. at this, momo shrinks further into herself, making herself as small as possible in her chair.

 

unfortunately for the maid servant, (who momo would later learn was dismissed from the palace) nayeon had seen the brief condescending look cross her face. she growls under her breath, pulling momo up by the arm and dragging her out of the room without a word.

 

__________________________________________

 

"it's okay really," momo mumbles from her spot on the couch.

 

they're back at nayeon's weirdly home-y underworld abode, with the said goddess pacing back and forth angrily.

 

"it's not!" nayeon half shouts. "they treated you like shit."

 

to be honest, momo is way more preoccupied with the fact that she'd just gone through another round of torture when they came back down into the underworld (and also the fact that her ears are still ringing from the sounds of screaming on the way down) than anything else. still, she never wants to have to experience it again so she hams it up, her lower lip sliding out in a pout as she whimpers pitifully.

 

"can i go home then?"

 

nayeon stops her pacing to give momo a long look.

 

"no."

 

"please?"

 

"no. i want to keep you in my line of sight always."

 

"you can stay with me in my house, please?"

 

nayeon's face lights up at the suggestion.

 

"fine."

__________________________________________

 

momo wasn't sure how desperate she was to get home that she invited nayeon to live with her.

 

she's standing in front of her bed, looking at the sprawled figure of the goddess. she'd gone for a quick shower, and came back to a sleeping nayeon. she sighed audibly, unsure of what to do next. momo hoped that nayeon wouldn't ever wake up, so she wouldn't have to face the consequences of her own words.

 

the goddesses up in mount olympus must really hate her, for at that very moment nayeon wakes, peeking up at momo with one eye open.

 

"don't sigh, sugarplum. sleep it off." she whispers, her voice still thick with sleep.

 

before momo can respond, nayeon grabs momo's wrist and pulls her down next to her on the bed. she throws a leg over momo's hip before she can get up, securing them together with surprising force.

 

nayeon's back asleep in a matter of seconds despite momo's uncomfortable squirming in an effort to get free. but eventually, worn out from the day's events, the sound of nayeon's even breaths lull momo to sleep as well.

 

__________________________________________

 

things go wrong almost immediately, when momo wakes in a dark room on an empty bed.

 

she panics, leaping up and praying to the goddesses up above who hated her that nayeon hadn't accidentally wandered out of the house or something.

 

but really, with the sight that momo's met with when she walks into the living room, she's sure she'd rather nayeon fall down a manhole straight back into the underworld.

 

momo's mother is perched on the couch, looking rather taken aback as nayeon goes on animatedly about the woes of living in the afterlife and how to be admitted into elysium.

 

she looks relieved as she spots momo, her posture considerably less tense now that her daughter was here.

 

"oh momo, your girlfriend let me in while you were asleep. she's rather.... charming but im glad you're here, i came to speak with you."

 

girlfriend? momo was going to send nayeon back to the underworld alright, and she'd make sure charon threw the goddess off his rickety old boat straight into the river styx.

 

"oh yes," momo grits through her teeth, beckoning nayeon to come over to her. "she has a funny sense of humor. don't you, _girlfriend_?"

 

nayeon seemed to miss the sarcasm in her tone, bounding over cheerfully and throwing an arm around momo's shoulder. "of course i do," she answers with a big smile on her face.

 

momo rolls her eyes, shrugging nayeon off and going to sit beside her mother on the couch.

 

"i came to remind you that your cousin's wedding is in two days. you haven't answered my calls today so i thought i'd come down."

 

if momo were being honest, she was just lazy to attend these events so she always pretended to disappear off the mortal plane of existence a few days before and reappear only after the event. (except this time she really did disappear, for awhile anyway)

 

her mother leans in, cupping a hand over momo's ear to whisper.

 

"your cousin's pervy friend will be there, so please dress decently, and please don't bring your girlfriend if she's going to speak about such dreadful things."

 

momo frowns at the thought of having no excuse to avoid the wedding, but thanks her mother anyway as she says her goodbyes.

 

"who's pervy friend?" nayeon asks the moment momo shuts the front door.

 

"who's girlfriend?" momo shoots back, she wasn't planning on letting it go so easily.

 

nayeon ignores the question, choosing instead to change the topic.

 

"don't go to the wedding, or take me with you."

 

"no. go back to the underworld or something."

 

"please?"

 

"no."

 

"i'll take that as a yes, don't worry i'll wear something nice."

 

__________________________________________

 

it really couldn't get any worse than this. pervy friend had waddled over with a rose and another pathetic attempt to hit on momo. he was in the middle of asking if momo had fallen from heaven when nayeon stepped in.

 

"actually she just came from the underworld, goodbye now."

 

pervy friend turns to nayeon, about to offer a rude remark when he sees her face and then proceeds to almost trip over himself asking for her number.

 

nayeon takes one look at his waxy complexion and greasy hair and whistles, muttering about how she "didn't have a number but that even hermes wouldn't deliver a message for him if he tried".

 

she pulls momo away from the flabbergasted man then, for which momo is eternally grateful until nayeon proudly declares that she had gotten one of her sisters to hex pervy friend earlier.

 

"please tell me you're kidding," she groans, tugging her arm out of nayeon's grasp. she'd applaud the universe if it could come up with something that could top how badly this night was going.

 

"nope," nayeon answers cheerfully. "i dont want him near you."

 

she groans, squeezing her eyes shut and consoling herself with the thought that things really couldn't get any worse.

 

momo should really keep her mouth (or mind) shut, because the universe found exactly three ways to make things worse:

 

one, the next time pervy friend had waltzed over to hit on her again, his nose was sporting a very large and angry red wart which pulsated oddly under the lights.

 

two, nayeon had stood on a chair to get the attention of all the guests and then proceeded to raise her glass in a toast "for her sister aphrodite and her marvelous work done with this couple".

 

three, aphrodite herself, along with nayeon's seven other sisters, materialised right smack in the middle of the banquet hall.


	4. four

they waste no time in heading straight for nayeon, ignoring everyone else in the room.

 

momo vaguely registers a few shrieks of surprise, but keeps her eyes on the group of girls walking towards nayeon (the girl in question remains blissfully unaware, she has her back turned and is dancing alone in the corner of the room).

 

even dressed in casual clothing, the goddesses exude an aura of power and superiority, one that leaves most of the wedding guests huddled fearfully in a corner as they quietly watch the goddesses' every move. a man that momo recognises as the bride's father starts forward apprehensively, brandishing a pair of tongs he'd taken from the buffet table. a look from tzuyu though, and he's sent scurrying to the back of the group.

 

it's at this very moment that momo realises nayeon must either be very dense or doesn't get out of the underworld much. despite the sudden silence in the room (apart from the music blasting through the speakers), nayeon continues to hop around in a bizarre fashion, twisting her body this way and that. (momo supposes that's how she danced and if that were the case then she'd really have to teach nayeon a thing or two)

 

sana and jeongyeon grab nayeon by an arm each, dragging her out of the banquet hall kicking and screaming. they spot momo on their way out and chaeyoung bounds over, linking their arms together as she pulls momo forward.

 

"you're coming with us."

 

"but the guests-" momo protests, casting a helpless glance at the group of people behind her.

 

"they won't remember this happened, jihyo and mina will take care of that."

 

sure enough, the humans look absolutely charmed by the smile jihyo's giving and mina, well, she isn't doing anything but standing there and pervy friend looks about ready to become one with carpeted floor, from the way he throws himself down in front of the goddess.

 

chaeyoung snorts at the greasy man on the floor, muttering that he "wouldn't be getting anything from mina but a giant squid in his bed tonight".

 

the last thing she registers before the doors to the banquet hall slip shut is a bright light that seems to be coming from jihyo.

 

__________________________________________

 

momo doesn't keep track of what goes on, just lets herself be pulled along by chaeyoung so she's surprised to find that one moment she's on earth and the other she's back on mount olympus. she suspects teleportation of some sort, but decides she doesn't want to get into it because she's had just about enough with travelling from the underworld to the earth and to the sky. she's only human after all, and it does take a toll on her body.

 

"please tell me we're not here again, i just want to go home." she groans, leaning heavily onto chaeyoung all of a sudden.

 

the shorter girl grunts as she struggles to hold momo upright.

 

"we really need to get you to a bed before my arms break."

 

that's a good idea, momo thinks. she wants to say it out loud but she's fast asleep long before she finds the strength to open her mouth.

 

__________________________________________

 

"i was having fun!" nayeon whines, shrinking a little under the looks of her seven sisters.

 

"yea, so were the souls in the fields of mourning. they had a lot of fun pushing charon into the river styx, the poor old man came to us all drenched and we had to cut off his wet beard before the weight of it detached his head from his shoulders."

 

nayeon gasps, she liked charon's beard. she'd even persuaded him to let her braid it once and it took her hours, with how long and matted it was.

 

"the point is," jihyo continues. "you're neglecting your duties to follow a human girl around."

 

nayeon shifts uncomfortably in her seat as six pairs of eyes continue to look at her questioningly. (jeongyeon is looking anywhere but at nayeon because she knows exactly why nayeon has been following momo around)

 

"i have to," nayeon insists.

 

"you choose to follow that girl around instead of doing your duties?" jihyo presses, her eyes taking on a dangerous glint.

 

"she has a name." nayeon spits, suddenly angry as she stands and stalks out of the room.

 

__________________________________________

 

nayeon sighs tiredly as she presses her forehead into her palm. chaeyoung had deposited the sleeping momo onto her own bed in the castle, the one she slept on years ago when they were children and before they had to take on their duties as goddesses.

 

even while sleeping, momo remained childlike and innocent looking. it was one thing (among many others) that nayeon found endearing and she catches herself thinking a little too far. it's a long shot, and she just hopes she can keep momo alive.

 

__________________________________________

 

"you know what's going on," sana accuses, turning to jeongyeon with narrowed eyes.

 

the other goddesses turn as well, and it's obvious that jeongyeon's in on whatever nayeon is doing because she flushes red and tries to escape. she could have, if only chaeyoung didn't wrap her arms around jeongyeon tightly.

 

"tell us!" jihyo half screams, pouncing on jeongyeon along with the other six girls. jihyo was tired of being out of the loop, she was the queen here for god's sake.

 

"alright alright, get off me. nayeon didn't take momo's soul, that's it."

 

"she didn't?" tzuyu asks, her surprise making her speak out for once. she'd been a silent spectator to the whole affair, quietly observing and yet she was genuinely curious as to what had gotten into nayeon. the goddess of the underworld never really took to the whole going out of her way to form bonds and relationships thing, even less so after persephone.

 

"why is she following momo around like a lost puppy then? if she stayed any longer on earth the whole underworld would've probably revolted." jihyo grumbles half heartedly. although she was mad at nayeon for neglecting her duties, she did always have a soft spot for her sister.

 

it was lonely in the underworld, that much she knew. nayeon had sent hermes up once to deliver a message that said "i got bored so i braided charon's beard, let me know if you want to come down and see."  
jihyo didn't go to see charon or his beard of course, but it made her realise how isolated nayeon really was from living in the underworld.

 

jeongyeon sighs and runs her hand through her short hair.

 

"she didn't do it because she couldn't, the tube was empty and we all know what it means."

 

there's a silence in the room, thick and heavy until dahyun lets out a breathy laugh.

 

"i guess that explains the fields of mourning then."

 

__________________________________________

 

"what does it mean?" momo asks.

 

chaeyoung shifts distractly, looking past momo at the horizon. she'd have to pull the sun across the sky soon. being the goddess of light was hard work. even if she wasn't responsible for anything major like jihyo or mina or nayeon, the sun was bright and heavy and definitely not fun to drag across the clouds. still, she had a job to do and if she didn't do it the days on earth would pretty much never turn to night or vice versa.

 

"what did you say?" chaeyoung asks, finally returning her attention to the girl sitting beside her.

 

nayeon had to attend to the souls she'd neglected down in the underworld, and had to leave momo for a bit. she insisted that one of the other goddesses stay with momo, a task that chaeyoung gladly volunteered for. momo was nice, and after what jeongyeon said chaeyoung understood where nayeon was coming from. she wouldn't want to leave momo alone either.

 

"what does it mean if nayeon can't take my soul?"

 

"mmm, you should be glad that she can't, nayeon is incredibly annoying. listen to this and tell me what you think."

 

chaeyoung produces from her bag a wooden object that looks a little like a flute, placing it on her mouth before she starts to play a tune, her fingers moving deftly up and down. momo is immediately entranced by the music, her body automatically swaying from side to side as she basks in the comfortable sound of it. it's soothing and the melody is lilting, a sweet reprise from how hectic her life had become since she'd gotten herself tangled in the life of goddesses.

 

momo didn't bother hiding the fact that she had eavesdropped on the conversation between nayeon and jeongyeon, she knew that chaeyoung wasn't the kind to snitch. the whole afternoon with the goddess, momo had tried to steer the conversation to what she really wanted to know, but chaeyoung proved to be very good at distracting her. at this thought, she snaps out of her dreamlike trance, clearing her throat as she reminds herself to stay on the task at hand.

 

"so about nayeon-"

 

"hey, it's time for sunset," chaeyoung interrupts, standing to her feet and offering a hand out to momo.

 

momo grunts and lets the matter rest for now as she pulls herself upright, she was disappointed but she'd get it out of someone eventually.

 

(she does persuade chaeyoung into telling her because after pulling the sun across the sky the girl is way too tired to avoid it any longer.)

 

"it just means that your soul is well, uh, occupied. and cut nayeon some slack please, she's stubborn and pushy but she just wants you to be safe so just go with it."

 

momo wasn't sure it was entirely helpful, because chaeyoung's answer had left her with even more questions than before.

 

__________________________________________

 

"how was your day?" nayeon asks, pulling her hair up into a messy bun on top of her head. momo decides nayeon is pretty in a bun, although it can't rival dahyun's.

 

nayeon had gone to collect momo from chaeyoung as soon as the sun had set, looking considerably relieved as she took the younger girl's hand in hers. momo didn't want to go back to the underworld but she guessed it was better than mount olympus anyway because the place gave her weird dreams. she hadn't told anyone about the nightmare she had the last time she slept in nayeon's bed there, and she wasn't planning to tell either.

 

"it went fine," she answers, fiddling distractedly with a loose thread on the hem of her sleeping shirt. "chaeyoung is fun."

 

"that's good, because you're going to have to be babysat for a few more days until i sort out the whole souls thing."

 

"can't i go home?" momo asks, peering up at nayeon hopefully with wide eyes, her lower lip slipping out in a pout.

 

nayeon groans and flops down onto the bed, throwing an arm over her eyes.

 

"don't give me that look, you can't go anywhere that i can't follow."

 

"why?"

 

"just because."

 

momo scowls, she really hated answers like these.


	5. five

it comes as a surprise to momo, when on the next day it isn't chaeyoung waiting for her but mina.

 

 

"chaeyoung is busy today." nayeon says in answer to the quizzical look momo gives her.

 

momo nods, feeling a wave of anxiety hit her. chaeyoung was talkative and fun, it was comfortable being around her. mina on the other hand, she knew nothing about. momo had managed to gather that mina was quiet, and that was about it because the girl hardly ever spoke. even now as nayeon guides momo over to the waiting goddess she does little but offer a smile and a polite bow. momo reciprocates, wondering if the stiff formalities would continue throughout the day.

 

"take care of her." nayeon tells mina, and with a pat on momo's back she's gone.

 

momo is left standing beside mina on the steps to the palace, toeing at the ground awkwardly. mina didn't seem to be initiating a conversation anytime soon either, she clears her throat and grips her trident tightly, looking off into the distance and anywhere but at momo really.

 

"how do you breathe underwater?" momo blurts out in an effort to break the silence.

 

mina allows a laugh at the question, and momo laughs too, the tension in the air slowly dissolving.

 

"i'll show you." she says as she takes momo's hand.

 

__________________________________________

 

when momo first enters the water, she squeezes her eyes shut and holds her breath on instinct, flailing about as she desperately tries to break the surface. it doesn't seem to work, and the water continues to push her downwards, sinking deeper and deeper. momo kicks out wildly, struggling against mina as the goddess tries to keep her still. she's giving in to her panic, letting her survival instincts rule her as she opens her mouth in desperate hopes for air.

 

eventually mina realizes there's no way she'll get momo to calm down, so she grips the girl by her armpits and kicks upwards to the surface of the water.

 

"please don't be dead, nayeon will kill me." mina mutters, apprehensively shaking a very soggy looking momo.

 

momo finally opens her eyes with a gasp, spluttering curses as her body finally stills its erratic thrashing. mina allows her time to return her breathing to normal before she loosens her grip, an action which sends momo into yet another fit of panic as she throws her arm around mina's neck tightly.

 

"i can't swim," momo gasps, her fingernails digging crescents into the skin at the back of mina's neck.

 

"relax," mina shushes, patting momo's wet hair soothingly. "try to breathe now."

 

__________________________________________

 

"isn't there any way to make sure it doesn't happen?" nayeon asks, pacing up and down in front of jihyo.

 

jihyo frowns at nayeon, she'd been going back and forth for hours now and jihyo was honestly getting dizzy.

 

"i know you're worried, but we don't know anything about it either. we don't know how to help, just like how we couldn't help chaeyoung or mina."

 

"there has to be something," nayeon growls, pressing the heel of her hands into her temples as she thinks. "you're the only one who can talk to them."

 

"it's dangerous nayeon, and we both know it."

 

nayeon opens her mouth to retort, when jeongyeon beats her to the chase. she's been sitting in the corner quietly, but finally decides that it's time to put in her own two cents.

 

"it won't hurt to try, jihyo. they can't hurt you."

 

jihyo looks between nayeon's desperate expression to jeongyeon's serious one and sighs.

 

"fine, i'll try."

__________________________________________

 

chaeyoung falls back onto the grassy field with a grunt, turning her head to look at tzuyu.

 

tzuyu sits beside chaeyoung, her quiver of arrows slung over her shoulder and her bow on the ground next to her. she's picking at the grass, frowning to herself.

 

"why are you frowning?"

 

tzuyu glances over at chaeyoung, her expression softening at the sight of her twin sister.

 

"i know it hurts to remember, and i don't like any of us to be reminded of it." she answers quietly, blowing at the blade of grass that rests in the palm of her hand.

 

chaeyoung's eyes follow the little leaf as it descends towards the ground, reaching out to catch it. she misses and it lands on her dress.

 

chaeyoung shuts her eyes, the ghost of a memory playing in her mind. it's bright, and there's a giggle. chaeyoung reaches out to tuck a strand of hair behind a girl's ear, her eyes travelling from her chin upwards. a little pointy chin to plump, heart shaped lips that sport a toothy smile to a small button nose. she stops right below the girl's eyes.

 

she sits up, brushing the blade of grass off her dress as her heart constricts painfully. she doesn't like to remember.

 

"yea, i don't want to think about it either."

 

__________________________________________

 

mina convinces momo that the water is nothing to be afraid of only when she summons a baby porpoise. momo shrieks at first when the animal swims up to the pair, once again attempting to crawl up mina's body for safety.

 

a soft nudge from the animal though, and she's shrieking for an entire different reason.

 

"it's so cute!" she practically bellows, half frightening the little porpoise away.

 

it swims a little further from momo before returning curiously into the girl's outstretched arms.

 

"there's more of this if we go underwater," mina laughs.

 

momo reckons she could give it a shot. after all, she was already floating in the middle of the atlantic ocean and she hadn't died yet.

 

"okay, but slowly." she warns, gripping mina's hands with enough force to cut off her blood circulation.

 

__________________________________________

 

jihyo enters the room with nayeon and jeongyeon in tow. it's a cold, dimly lit room, with walls narrow enough that even nayeon who's lived in the underworld for years feels claustrophobic.

 

"speak."

 

the voices echo throughout the room, blending together in perfect harmony so that if one didn't listen carefully it would only sound like one person was talking.

 

jihyo clears her throat noisily, eyes shifting as she tries to figure out where to look. the owners of the voices are never visible, but if they were then, well, it wouldn't exactly be a good omen.

 

"you know why we're here," jihyo begins. she receives a dry chuckle in return, the sound bouncing off the walls in a sinister manner.

 

"we want to know how to stop it." she continues, pushing on despite every logical part of her being telling her to run.

 

the voices laugh again, louder this time and more deliriously before an answer comes.

 

"it's forbidden, you cannot change fate."

 

__________________________________________

 

momo was happy. her time with mina had been well spent exploring the world underwater. getting used to it wasn't easy, but she decided that she rather liked being down there. when mina was around the weight of the water seemed to lift off her chest, and she couldn't help but have fun as the goddess guided her through reefs and underwater caves and even to shipwrecks.

 

momo also learned that mina was far from quiet. she came alive in her own element, smiling and laughing at everything and anything. she wasn't all serious either, she knew how to have her own share of fun. if

 

momo was intimidated by the goddess before, she felt like they could be friends now.

 

momo almost whines when mina tells her it's time to go, although the sight of nayeon waiting on the shoreline isn't unwelcome. as nayeon bundles a wet and shivering momo into a towel, fussing over her and checking for scrapes of any sort, momo feels an unfamiliar warmth rising to her cheeks.

 

"thank you." she whispers, just softly enough for nayeon to hear.

 

nayeon doesn't answer her, but wraps an arm around momo, rubbing up and down momo's arm to keep her warm.

 

momo is grateful for the gesture, although she doesn't miss the look in mina's eyes as the other goddess turns away from the sight of the two of them. it's one of absolute heartbreak.


	6. six

momo's dreams were getting repetitive.

 

she's back in the room again, alone in the pitch black darkness of it. she calls out for nayeon as usual, but as usual the only answers she get are laughs. momo doesn't know where or what they come from, only identifies the source as three pairs of eyes gleaming out of the darkness.

 

"nayeon!" she calls again, over and over as she feels her way through the heavy darkness. it presses in on her, closing in as she blinks furiously to clear her eyesight. and then she falls.

 

nayeon jerks awake to the sound of momo whimpering. the girl is thrashing around on the bed, soft whines slipping from her mouth as she grasps at anything her hands can find.

 

"nayeon," the call comes softly to her in her mind, barely audible through the sound of momo's movements.

 

"do it now." the voice whispers, driving itself into nayeon's head.

 

"do it nayeon," it says again. the voice drives nayeon crazy, sending chills down her spine as she's compelled to obey.

 

"kill her."

 

nayeon shifts into a kneeling position on the floor, edging closer towards the bed that momo is in. her eyes are trained on momo who's still moaning softly, brows furrowed as she lives out her nightmare.

 

nayeon reaches out, her eyes glassy as her fingers find momo's neck.

 

she's about to squeeze when momo utters a single coherent word.

 

"nayeon," the girl whimpers, and it's enough to snap nayeon out of the haze that she's in. she refocuses on the girl before her, fingers slipping from momo's throat to administer gentle pats on her back. nayeon leans in, stroking momo's hair as the younger girl finally wakes with a gasp and clings tearfully to nayeon.

 

"i was calling for you." momo sobs, her chest heaving.

 

"i know, i'm sorry. i'll get to you earlier next time." nayeon mutters soothingly as she pulls momo closer into a hug. she's trying to stay calm for momo's sake, although she's still a little shaken by what had happened before momo woke.

 

"bad dream?" she probes, to which momo nods in return.

 

"i was alone, except for the voices and the eyes." momo mumbles, tears stinging the back of her eyes once more as she recalls.

 

that stops nayeon in her tracks.

 

"voices? eyes?" she asks, and momo can only nod and sniffle.

 

nayeon pulls back, her fingers digging painfully into momo's shoulder.

 

"how many eyes were there?" she presses.

 

"they were all laughing and i got scared." momo sniffs again.

 

"how many?"

 

"three."

 

nayeon stands abruptly, abandoning momo on the bed as she starts pacing again.

 

momo watches, her confusion growing as nayeon clutches her head between her hands and starts up a chant of "it's too early".

 

momo gets up off the bed, padding over softly to nayeon.

 

"are you okay?" she asks, pulling nayeon's hands from where they were tangled up in her hair.

 

nayeon shakes her head as she sits back down onto the bed. momo joins her, a sharp ache throbbing in her chest at the sight of the goddess looking so helpless. she draws nayeon into a tight hug, just so she wouldn't have to see the look of despair on her face.

 

__________________________________________

 

nayeon was unusually quiet the whole morning. when momo woke again, she found nayeon sitting at the coffee table nursing a cup of tea. she usually pounced on momo to wake her up, dragging her out of bed with promises of a good breakfast.

 

"good morning," nayeon rasps, it's evident in her face that she hadn't slept a wink the night before.

 

"good morning," momo greets, running her fingers through nayeon's tangled mess of hair. she didn't know when she started getting all touchy with the goddess but it felt right to her, like two puzzle pieces slotting perfectly together. besides, the goddess never complained, she just leaned back into momo's touch with a sigh.

 

"is it mina today?" momo asks.

 

nayeon shakes her head.

 

"chaeyoung?"

 

nayeon shakes her head again.

 

"it's sana today."

 

"oh."

 

__________________________________________

 

momo wasn't sure what to expect, she hadn't spoken much to sana since she'd embarrassingly become absolutely smitten with the goddess on their first meeting. momo really hoped it wasn't a perpetual thing, she didn't fancy tripping over every sentence at how ethereal sana looked.

 

nayeon seemed antsy today, a little more cautious. she wouldn't let go of momo's hands, and wouldn't let her roam the castle grounds like they always did before. nayeon started at the slightest sounds, even throwing a fist up at the sight of a bright yellow butterfly which momo found funny.

 

"don't laugh!" nayeon whines, pushing playfully at momo's shoulder.

 

"you're really on edge today, it's funny." momo defends herself, and nayeon finally laughs for the first time that day, her eyes crinkling up in the way that made momo's heart go all soft.

 

the light-heartedness doesn't last however, as nayeon tightens her grip on momo when they near the castle steps. it's sana waiting this time, with a bright open mouthed smile on her face.

 

nayeon is reluctant to let go, until sana forcefully pries nayeon's fingers off momo's hands like a child's from a mother's on the first day of preschool.

 

"take care of her," nayeon repeats just like the day before, a daily mantra that warmed momo's heart with the realisation of how she had bizarrely become so important to nayeon in the span of such a short time.

 

sana waves her off, taking momo by the hand and practically dragging her up into the castle.

 

nayeon doesn't disappear immediately this time, her eyes follow momo's departing figure until the doors to the castle swing shut.

 

__________________________________________

 

the goddesses are seated around a table, all except for sana and dahyun. dahyun is still attending to her duties while sana, well, she's babysitting.

 

mina and chaeyoung have their backs pressed to their chairs, looking uncomfortable and very rightfully so, for nayeon is breathing right down their necks.

 

tzuyu herself is on edge too, clutching chaeyoung's hand protectively under the table. none of them liked to think about it, but the arrival of momo had brought to light whatever they had painstakingly buried in the past. nobody blamed momo though, because there was an unspoken knowledge that it would be momo who would ultimately suffer the most for it.

 

"how long?" nayeon repeats. "how long till you started hearing voices?"

 

"three months." mina answers, her eyes fixed onto a dark spot on the wooden coffee table. nayeon recognises it as a stain left behind from when momo had once spilled her cup of soda, but resolutely ignores the memory as she switches her gaze to chaeyoung.

 

"four months." chaeyoung mumbles.

 

"it's been two weeks," nayeon sighs, slumping back into her chair.

 

"are you sure you heard it?" jihyo asks, her brows creasing with worry. there was already little that they knew about the matter, and something different was just like a curveball thrown at them. they knew even less now.

 

"we have to keep searching for answers." jeongyeon interjects. she wasn't one to waste time, her method of dealing with things was to always go at it head on, to gather the facts and attack the enemy in a practical manner.

 

tzuyu nods, relaxing a little now that nayeon had ceased her interrogation.

 

no one misses the tear that slips down mina's face, but they turn away and pretend that they don't see it. it's better that way, when the pain isn't bared in front of everyone.

 

__________________________________________

 

"is it weird?" momo asks, "that i feel so close to nayeon?"

 

sana shrugs, busying herself with folding up the clothes on the floor. she'd talked momo into helping her organise her clothes closet. (god knows she needed it, for there were various articles of clothing that burst forth and very nearly buried momo the moment the closet doors were pulled open)

 

"i don't find it weird," sana answers as she puts a dress up to her body then throws it aside. "what's weird is how many of these clothes i've outgrown." she continues, making a face.

 

"but i just met her!" momo protests. "and yet i feel like i want to spend my whole life with her." she adds quietly.

 

"that's love!" sana squeals, knocking over a pile of neatly folded clothes in her excitement.

 

momo leans down and begins refolding the clothes, frowning at sana as she answers. "it's not love, i barely know her."

 

"its too bad you feel that way, you'll fall in love with her soon enough." sana sing-songs.

 

momo tosses a tee shirt at sana's face which the goddess bats aside. sana remains unfazed, she just sticks her tongue out at momo before she continues to sort through the towering piles of clothes.

 

"how would you know?" momo counters.

 

"it's a given, since you're soulmates."

 

"we're what? what did you-"

 

it's at this point sana realises she's said too much, and with a shriek she takes off running through the castle halls, momo hot on her heels.

 

"i said nothing!" sana screams, looking back at momo who's catching up to her alarmingly quickly.

 

"you said something!" momo yells back, stepping up her pace to overtake sana.

 

the goddess was never good at running, and before she can stop or swerve she crashes right into momo's arms, the two of them landing on the floor. the floorboards creak in protest, as if reminding them that the castle was thousands of years old.

 

"get off me," momo gurgles as she's practically being smothered by sana.

 

the goddess complies, rolling over with a loud oomph. they lay there for a minute, panting to catch their breaths before momo speaks up again.

 

"what did you say earlier? about the soulmates?"

 

sana groans, turning over to look at momo.

 

"i wasn't supposed to tell," she moans, lifting her head and letting it fall back onto the floor with a loud thud.

 

"so me and nayeon are... soulmates?"

 

momo's tone is a mixture of incredulity and relief. she can hardly fathom the fact that she, the same girl who spent her weekends (and any other day really) alone at home, had a goddess for a soulmate. even worse, it was _hades_. yet she's somewhat relieved, that she isn't going crazy and that the strange urges she's been getting to never leave nayeon's side wasn't some kind of hormonal imbalance. at least she had an explanation, no matter how bizarrely impossible it was.

 

sana rolls over and straddles momo, her thighs bracketing momo's hips as she grasps the other girl by her shoulders.

 

"you can't tell nayeon anything." she threatens, dead serious as she shakes a still bewildered momo.

 

"can't tell nayeon what?" a voice sounds from behind them.

 

sana glances up at the clock on the wall, feeling her heart sink when she reads the time.

 

"fuck," she whimpers under her breath. she hadn't noticed that it was time for nayeon to pick momo up.


	7. seven

sana can't catch her breath.

 

it's hard, when nayeon has her in a headlock and both legs wrapped around her middle to prevent her escape. sana squirms feebly, flicking at nayeon's arm that's wound around her neck.

 

momo stands by helplessly, she tried to help, she really did. sana had given her the most pitiful look and she swooped in immediately, trying to pry nayeon's arm off her.

 

"if you help her you're next." nayeon had growled, which sent momo scurrying back to watch from a safe distance.

 

"why did you tell her?" nayeon shouts, her lips pursed as she struggles to hold sana still.

 

"an... accident..." wheezes the poor goddess, still fighting to free herself.

 

momo doesn't think nayeon is going to let up anytime soon, so she decides she'd better take matters into her own hands before sana passed out from the lack of air.

 

momo squats in front of nayeon, touching her cheeks lightly with the tips of her fingers.

 

"let her go, please?"

 

nayeon huffs, turning her face away.

 

momo tries again.

 

"please?" she breathes, cupping a hand to nayeon's face.

 

nayeon softens, but she's still scowling fiercely as she releases sana.

 

sana falls back onto the floor gratefully, chest heaving up and down as she recovers from the attack.

 

__________________________________________

 

dinner is a quiet affair, especially when nayeon refuses to speak to sana.

 

"jeongyeon, tell sana to pass the salt."

 

jeongyeon groans, nayeon had been going at it for half an hour now.

 

"sana, nayeon tells you to-"

 

jihyo cuts jeongyeon off before she can continue.

 

"nayeon, if you have something to say to sana do it yourself. you're not kids anymore, for god's sake!"

 

nayeon sends sana a glare, pointing a fork at aphrodite's face as she speaks.

 

"you won't die today but i'll be waiting for you in the underworld." nayeon mutters darkly, an arm coming up around momo's waist protectively.

 

sana sticks a tongue out at her.

 

"goddesses are immortal."

 

momo has to sit herself on nayeon's lap after that, for the goddess very nearly launches out of her seat to poke sana with her fork.

 

__________________________________________

 

"why didn't you tell me?"

 

nayeon focuses on buttoning up her pajamas, feeling a blush colour her cheeks as she clears her throat.

 

"i didn't want you to feel obliged or anything. i wanted to do it the normal way."

 

momo blinks as she processes nayeon's words. she wasn't sure what she meant but then it hits her.

 

nayeon was trying to get momo to fall in love with her the normal way.

 

momo cracks up at the thought, rolling over in bed as she chortles.

 

"stop laughing, it's not funny."

 

nayeon throws a pillow at momo, ducking her head in embarrassment.

 

"you're a sap." momo giggles. "and there's nothing normal about this." she adds as an afterthought.

 

there really wasn't. the concept of soulmates in itself was barely fathomable, let alone the fact that her soulmate was a goddess. normal was the last word momo would use to describe their current predicament.

 

"i can be normal." nayeon mumbles from under a pillow which she'd used to hide her red face.

 

"sure you can," momo teases patronisingly. "dates in the underworld sound enticing."

 

nayeon pulls the pillow off her face, suddenly serious as she studies momo.

 

"you're okay with that? being soulmates?"

 

in all honesty, momo felt nothing but content. she expected to be weirded out, or to fiercely oppose the idea of it. yet she couldn't bring herself to do it, even she couldn't fool herself that it wasn't what she wanted when being with nayeon was the first time in years she'd genuinely felt whole.

 

it was as if she'd gotten used to the throb of an old wound so that she had forgotten that it was there, and only when it healed did she realise how much better it felt. she wasn't about to let nayeon know that though, chaeyoung once told her that nayeon got fatheaded if you praised her.

 

"it's fine i guess," she answers nonchalantly. "too bad it's not sana."

 

the comment earns her a whack on the arm from nayeon, who remains sullen the entire night.

 

__________________________________________

 

"who's my babysitter today?" momo asks over breakfast. she had a fairly fun time with each goddess so far, and she was looking forward to spending time with more of them.

 

"me." nayeon answers around a mouthful of eggs.

 

"you?"

 

"is there a problem with me?"

 

momo shakes her head, focusing once more on her breakfast to hide her confusion.

 

"where are we going?" she asks after a moment of silence.

 

"earth." nayeon answers as she scrapes her plate clean.

 

"earth?"

 

nayeon fixes momo with a look.

 

"is there a problem with earth?"

 

momo shakes her head again. she was going to stop questioning everything nayeon said because their conversation was getting ridiculously repetitive.

 

__________________________________________

 

momo wasn't sure what to expect, but it definitely wasn't nayeon pulling a large map out of her bag in the middle of the sidewalk. the map was _big_. it took up so much space that people began to give them dirty looks, even tutting or muttering curses.

 

momo is mortified, and she drags an oblivious nayeon into a little alleyway out of the flow of human traffic.

 

"what are you doing?" she hisses.

 

nayeon answers cheerfully, as though unaware that an angry man had almost knocked her over with his bike had it not been for momo whisking her away.

 

"im looking for a cinema."

 

momo sighs, taking the map from nayeon and stuffing it back into the goddess's backpack.

 

"it's this way," she says, dragging nayeon across the road to a large shopping mall. momo had lived in this area for about a year or two now, so she was familiar with everything here. why nayeon wanted to take charge was a complete mystery to her, but she decides not to question it.

 

__________________________________________

 

nayeon tries her best to be normal, or as normal as a goddess can get.

 

they're ten minutes into the movie when nayeon fake yawns and stretches an arm behind momo's head. momo knows what's coming, but shuts her eyes and prays that nayeon isn't about to do what she thinks.

 

nayeon does.

 

with her eyes on the screen the whole time, nayeon lets her arm rest gently on momo's shoulder and pulls momo closer to her as casually as she can.

 

"nayeon?" momo whispers. the goddess is awfully strong and momo finds her face squashed into nayeon's chest.

 

"hmm?"

 

"this isn't normal."

 

"oh."

 

nayeon releases momo after that, scratching her head awkwardly as her hands flap about, trying to find somewhere appropriate to rest. she eventually settles for crossing her arms, but momo reaches for her hand to hold anyway. just because it's cute that nayeon's trying.

 

momo doesn't find it cute however, when they get kicked out of the theatre because nayeon's crying too loudly over the movie.

 

she bows briefly and apologises once more, all the while trying to comfort a blubbering nayeon.

 

"the dog died!" nayeon wails, her tears soaking through momo's shirt.

 

momo is exasperated, leading the goddess over to a bench as she shushes her.

 

"you live in the underworld, everyone there is dead you're crying over a fictional dead dog?"

 

nayeon huffs, kicking out like a child.

 

"it's different."

 

__________________________________________

 

for the first time ever, momo is relieved to return to the underworld.

 

momo wasn't sure how nayeon had managed to almost get the pair of them arrested, but apparently the goddess wasn't aware of the fact that there was such a thing as money on earth. she'd spotted a roadside vendor selling fishcakes and well, it all went downhill from there and involved a lot of running.

 

momo leans against the front door, closing her eyes and thanking the goddesses up above that the worst was over.

 

she was wrong.

 

when momo opens her eyes again she's assaulted by the image of a very large suckerfish heading straight towards her.

 

the suckerfish in question was nayeon, who had puckered her lips up in an extremely affronting manner and was leaning in for what momo supposed would be a kiss.

 

momo only has her dance lessons to thank for quick reflexes, because just before their faces collide momo claps a hand over nayeon's mouth and pushes the goddess backward.

 

nayeon frowns at momo, pulling the hand off her mouth.

 

"you don't kiss on the first date?" she asks.

 

nayeon had done her research beforehand, the research being stealing the DVD of a cheesy rom-com from a store back on earth. everything she'd done on this so-called "date" was the result of her feverish note-taking while momo was being babysat. it didn't work out exactly as planned, because the male lead not only got to put his arm around the female lead at the cinema, but also snagged a kiss at the end of the date. it was tragic really, nayeon did try her best.

 

"i don't kiss fishes," momo replies. "you're the fish." she adds when the look of confusion on nayeon's face deepens.

 

"oh." nayeon looks embarrassed now, a deep shade of red colouring her cheeks.

 

"you've never kissed anyone before?" momo asks. she's surprised, nayeon was quite a catch if she'd say so herself, but then again there weren't a lot of options in the underworld.

 

nayeon shakes her head pitifully.

 

"have you even dated before? what about persephone?"

 

"i didn't date her, i kidnapped her."

 

momo softens because the goddess looks absolutely ashamed.

 

she captures nayeon's face in her hands, and plants a gentle kiss onto nayeon's cheek.

 

"i'll kiss you when you learn to do it right."

 

__________________________________________

 

mina struggles to forget.

 

she hasn't quite gotten the hang of it yet, especially when momo reminds her everyday.

 

it's not fate, she thinks bitterly to herself. it's a curse.

 

her nights are made up of the same routine. toss and turn for hours, then drift off into a fitful sleep.

 

sleep is hard for mina, for when she sleeps she cannot determine where her mind will go. if she's lucky she dreams of good things.

 

more often than not, she doesn't.

 

most nights she dreams of screaming, of her hands pushing the girl underwater and keeping her there, of watching as the girl goes still. a burial at sea, except it wasn't so much a burial as a murder with the body left to the tides. there was nothing grand or honourable about how the body had turned blue, the same body that mina loved and had explored every inch of. it is exceptionally cruel, that the goddess of the sea left her lover to die there.

 

on those nights she wakes in a cold sweat, hands shaking as she cries. whispers haunt the recesses of her mind, voices that were long gone resonating in her head.

 

"kill her."

 

mina struggles to forget. 

 


	8. eight

"jihyo," jeongyeon gasps. "i found something."

 

the pair of them have been in the library for hours. it's a large and rustic looking room with arched ceilings. shelves upon shelves of books make a home out of the place, it's the sort where you'd need to climb ladders to reach the books, precisely why nayeon and sana have been banned from touching anything out of their arm's reach.

 

chaeyoung is pretty out of her element here too, but at least she's proven herself capable of scaling the ladders without breaking any bones.

 

sana had learned the hard way when she climbed to the very top of the ladder and got stuck. needless to say, she fell and, well, nayeon was the one she'd fallen on. (nayeon rather considered herself a hero, since she'd climbed up after sana to save her. it's just a pity she lost her footing about six feet up.)

 

jihyo, in her haste, very nearly falls off her ladder at jeongyeon's words, scrambling back down to meet her at ground level.

 

at this point, she'd take any feasible solution because she was so horribly desperate. the whole situation was much like a nightmare to her, especially since it was inevitable that it would one day be her turn. she prided herself on being a headstrong person who rarely got frazzled, but if even mina had succumbed to it then she didn't stand a chance.

 

"what i've been thinking," jeongyeon begins. "is that we're looking at this the wrong way. we've been trying to think of a way to prevent it, but what if it's the circumstances that don't work? we think it's inevitable right? but we haven't considered changing the circumstances."

 

"changing the circumstances?" jihyo repeats slowly. she's lost, until jeongyeon flips open one of the large volumes she'd taken off the top shelf.

 

"oh." jihyo says, eyes growing wide as she studies the page. "its not safe, the odds aren't good at all."

 

"it's risky i know, but if they're okay with trying it's worth a shot."

 

jihyo bites her bottom lip, dread bubbling in the pit of her stomach as she rereads the italicised words on the yellowing page.

 

 _rota fortunae_.

 

__________________________________________

 

"are we going somewhere today?" momo asks brightly, leaning on the door frame of the bathroom as she appraises nayeon in all her fresh-out-of-the-shower wet haired glory.

 

"no, i'm busy today."

 

momo's face falls, but brightens back up almost immediately when nayeon informs her that dahyun has decided to undertake the duty of babysitting her.

 

"you have to help her with the harvest," nayeon laughs, flicking droplets of water onto momo on her way out of the bathroom. "don't hang around like a dead weight."

 

momo pouts. manual labour wasn't her kind of thing, but she guessed she didn't have much of a choice either way.

 

they meet dahyun in a place that's larger than mount olympus itself.

 

"woah."

 

momo gapes at the landscape before her, a lush expanse of green that stretches far and wide. as far as she can see, it's nature all the way. not her kind of thing, but it's a refreshing change from the underworld. nayeon reaches up to pick a peach from a tree and hands it to momo.

 

"it's you," nayeon giggles, and momo nearly swoons if it weren't for dahyun slapping the peach out of her hands.

 

"that's unripe," she scolds.

 

nayeon ignores dahyun, keeping her eyes only on momo as she mutters the same thing as always.

 

"take care of her."

 

and then she disappears.

 

"well," dahyun says as she stretches. "looks like you're helping me with the peaches today."

 

they exchange a grin, sunlight illuminating both their faces and momo doesn't want to be cheesy, but she thinks that everything might just be perfect in the moment. (it had conveniently slipped momo's mind that she would soon be working tirelessly under the unrelenting heat)

 

momo learns fairly quickly, and in fact she finds that she's rather good at picking peaches. (her only motivation under the sweltering sun was the fact that nayeon had likened her to the fruit but it was motivation nonetheless, and she took what she could get. harvesting, she found, was tough work that robbed people of their morale.)

 

she walks up and down the rows of trees with dahyun alongside, humming to herself as the basket in her arms gradually grows heavier and heavier with fruit.

 

"so," dahyun begins conversationally, "how far have you taken it with nayeon?"

 

momo starts at the question, her humming cutting off into a surprised warble as she nearly chokes on her own saliva.

 

"what?"

 

"never mind." dahyun grins at momo, winking at her conspiratorially before the goddess sets off in search of more peaches. momo blushes furiously and turns away.

 

she minds her own business for a bit, entirely focused on the task at hand until an unfamiliar chill creeps in. there's a feeling that she's being watched, a sense of danger that she's a stranger to. she looks around and realises she's alone, that dahyun has wandered off elsewhere by now.

 

momo shudders and does her best to ignore it. to be fair, she was doing a pretty good job until she locked eyes with an old woman. scratch that, there were three of them now who had appeared out of thin air. momo had nothing against old women, but they looked so eerily familiar, especially their eyes, that she started to back away.

 

"where are you going, sweetie?" the middle one croaks out.

 

momo stumbles and trips over her own feet, landing on the grass with a thump.

 

the old women laugh at the sight, and the sound of it tugs at momo's memory. she'd heard those laughs before, but couldn't quite place them because the only thing on her mind at the moment was to get dahyun.

 

"dahyun!" she shouts, until the goddess appears before her.

 

"what's wrong?" dahyun asks. "how did you fall?" she continues with a giggle, offering momo a hand.

 

momo takes the hand gratefully, but eyes dahyun as though she's crazy. was she unaware of the strange women?

 

"who are they?" momo asks, a trembling finger pointed straight at the middle one who'd spoken earlier.

 

dahyun glances in the direction momo is pointing, then back at momo, and back again at what appears to be nothing. now it's her turn to look at momo as though she's crazy.

 

"who's who?"

 

the middle one watches the exchange with gleeful eyes, whilst the other two don't seem so interested. they're busy unwinding a thick red thread (were they really about to start sewing now? it was hardly the right time in momo's opinion), one of them pulling it taut while the other held a pair of scissors that glinted under the light from the setting sun.

 

"the three old women? you don't see them?"

 

dahyun glances around as though she still sees nothing, but seems to understand that it's not safe. she wraps a firm arm around momo's shoulder and pulls her away from where she'd pointed.

 

"don't look back." dahyun hisses as she guides momo.

 

momo does anyway, because she's always been stubborn.

 

momo sneaks a peek, and catches a glimpse of the scissors closing around the thread before dahyun makes the grip on her shoulder painfully tight. she turns her head back to face forward obediently, because she's sure that if she doesn't then dahyun might just pop her whole shoulder out of its socket.

 

__________________________________________

 

"no."

 

nayeon pushes away from the table, rising defiantly in protest of the suggestion.

 

"it's the only thing we can think of!" jeongyeon snaps. they were all tired and irritable, the stress was taking a toll on them and it didn't help that nayeon was being impossibly uncooperative.

 

nayeon fixes her with a steely glare. "this is all you've got? aren't you the goddess of wisdom?"

 

nayeon laughs mockingly, one that is short and bitter and that's enough for jeongyeon, who slams a fist onto the table as she stands. she stalks out of the library, making it a point to slam the door shut on her way out. mina rises quietly too and follows jeongyeon out.

 

the library is left in tense silence, apart from the sound of its remaining occupants shifting uncomfortably in their seats.

 

nayeon sinks back into her chair slowly, heaving a tired sigh as she drags her hands down her face.

 

"sorry."

 

sana, ever the mediator in times like these, reaches over and squeezes nayeon's shoulder, a gesture that the goddess appreciates.

 

"it's okay nayeonnie, we're all trying our best. that includes you too."

 

in the distance they hear a clock chime six o clock. it's time to fetch momo.

 

nayeon rises once more, a smile plastered on her face as she excuses herself.

 

the smile doesn't reach her eyes and they don't crinkle in the way momo likes, but as sana said, she was trying her best.

 

__________________________________________

 

momo is swept into the arms of a tight-lipped nayeon, the goddess pulling back to study her face before she's satisfied enough to loosen her hold.

 

dahyun, who had been tense since they'd returned from the harvest, relaxes visibly with nayeon's presence. she asks nayeon for a word, and momo can pretty much guess what it's going to be about.

 

nayeon releases momo reluctantly, fixing her with a stern look as though to tell her not to move. she disappears into a room with dahyun shortly after.

 

momo has always been stubborn.

 

she toes at the carpet beneath her feet for a few minutes, and then decides that she's stayed still for a sufficient amount of time to clear her conscience. if nayeon got mad, at least she could still say that she'd tried.

 

momo wanders the halls and ventures into a place she's never been in before. she deduces that it's a library, though anyone would be able to tell just by the looks of it.

 

it seems that she's entered at a most inopportune time, for when she pushes open the heavy wooden doors (lignum vitae, chaeyoung had once bragged), the eyes of four goddesses look up to meet hers.

 

sana looks back down immediately, busying herself with a book. (momo isn't fooled, when she squints she makes out that the book is upside down) the other three however, continue to stare at the newcomer with guilty faces, as though they were just talking about her.

 

momo flushes at the attention and turns to leave. she has a hand on the door when jihyo's voice rings out across the room.

 

"momo could you come here for a second please?"

 

momo's heart sinks as she trudges over to jihyo, the atmosphere in the room wasn't entirely pleasant and she wanted no part of it. as if on cue, chaeyoung, tzuyu and sana stand to leave. jihyo waits, only beginning to speak once the goddesses have shut the door behind them.

 

"do you want answers?" jihyo asks, eyes darting about momo's face to read her expression.

 

momo licks her dry lips, parting them ever so slightly. she's nervous enough that her words fail her, so she settles with a slow nod.

 

jihyo leans back into her chair.

 

"the dreams you've been having, they're all a sign."

 

"of what?"

 

jihyo opens her mouth to answer but she never gets a chance to, because nayeon materialises behind momo and yanks the startled girl out of her seat.

 

"enough."

 

nayeon's face is hard and unreadable, disapproval strong in her voice.

 

jihyo raises her hands in surrender, sighing in resignation as she leaves the library. it seemed momo would have to be kept in the dark for now, no matter how much jihyo disagreed with nayeon about this.

 

__________________________________________

 

momo can't sleep.

 

she's been lying in bed for an hour, but her mind is too restless for her to drift off. she stares idly at the ceiling, recalling the afternoon she'd spent with dahyun.

 

_"are goddesses powerful?"_

 

_"i guess so," dahyun had laughed. "we're not goddesses for nothing."_

 

_momo cracks a smile._

 

_"that's not what i meant, i meant to ask if there's anything that you have no power over."_

 

_dahyun stops laughing._

 

_"we can't change fate."_

 

momo sighs, flips her body over to the right, then to the left, then on her back once more. she shuts her eyes and counts to ten, her mother told her that counting to ten was the best way to fall asleep. granted, she was four and her mother was just trying to teach her to count but it stuck anyway.

 

 _one_.

 

she's back there again, sunlight hitting her face as she squints into a cluster of trees. a bony hand lifts a pair of scissors to cut a single red thread. jihyo's voice echoes in her head, telling her that it's a sign.

 

 _two_.

 

momo wakes with a start and wipes furiously at the sweat on her forehead.

 

 _three_.

 

she shuts her eyes again. it was just a figment of her imagination. that's what dahyun had said.

 

 _four_.

 

was nayeon asleep? she stops counting to focus on the goddess breathing next to her.

 

in and out. in and out.

 

 _five_.

 

in.

 

 _six_.

 

out.

 

 _seven_.

 

in.

 

 _eight_.

 

the sound of breathing stops.

 

 _nine_.

 

momo strains her ears to listen.

 

 _ten_.

 

cold, slender fingers wrap around her neck and her eyes fly open.

 

nayeon has rolled over onto momo, her pretty face twisting into a snarl as she presses down on her throat.

 

momo claws at nayeon's hands and struggles to pull them away from her neck. she thrashes around wildly and kicks out at the older girl, trying her best to get nayeon off her.

 

momo feels her movements get weaker, her desparate hands are slicked with sweat and doing nothing more than sliding off nayeon's arms. nayeon has a firm grip on her, all the weight in her body centred on momo's throat.

 

momo feels the pressure building up in her head as she struggles to breathe, her throat feeling awfully like it was about to be flattened.

 

nayeon shows no signs of relenting, a satisfied expression now plastered on her face as she curls her fingers inward, fingernails digging into the skin of momo's neck so hard that it tears. nayeon's knuckles are turning white with the force that she's exerting, yet she squeezes harder still, testing the limits of her strength.

 

momo can't breathe. can do nothing more but let out a string of gasps and terrified whimpers. she's sure that her head is going to explode soon.

 

black spots are appearing before her, dotting her vision as she fights to get herself free.

 

momo chokes, spluttering a little and with a final feeble shove at nayeon's hands, she goes unconscious.

 

the last thing she registers before everything goes black is the pressure leaving her neck, accompanied by an "i'm sorry" whispered into her ear.

 

it's completely quiet after that. momo comes to with a loud gasp, inhaling deep lungfuls of air that burn on its way in. momo is terrified but she's fading in and out of consciousness, and she can't find the strength to move or keep her eyes open for any longer than half a minute. her best efforts were a series of twitches and jerks, nothing she could defend herself with.

 

she eventually manages after what feels like an hour, her eyelids fluttering open. shes completely alone in the dark. in her peripheral vision she sees no evidence of the prior assault left but the crumpled bedsheets.

 

she wants to call for nayeon, but when she forces her jaw open no words come. a strangled groan is all she hears, and that alone evokes a searing pain in her throat.

 

momo touches a hand to her neck, wincing at the tender skin she finds there. she prods gently at her flesh, her neck is sore and swollen, and it's definitely going to bruise tomorrow. she can feel where nayeon's nails had dug into her neck, tracing over the raised bumps that smart painfully with her touches. her fingers come away sticky with blood.

 

from the corner of her eye she sees a dark shadow detach itself from the wall, drifting closer to her. it's too dark to tell who it is, but momo has all the right to be wary at this point.

 

"you're not dead." a voice says.

 

momo wants to scream but she can't find the strength to so she settles for crying, even though it hurts like a bitch. she cries for all it's worth, because she knows she's going to die.


	9. love is watching someone die

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a lovely human being aka ao3 user handong helped me with this chapter and i can't thank her enough but you should check out her works because she's a greAT writer!! the start and end of whatever she's written is bolded for your reference :^)

nayeon enters the room in a frenzy, slamming the door on her way in. her hair is tousled and shirt crumpled but she's so out of her wits that she hardly cares. it's the same circular room as before, dark and damp, with high walls that threaten to swallow her whole.

 

"atropos!" nayeon cries, turning in a circle when a familiar laugh echoes off the walls. she searches for the source of the sound, stopping when she finally spots an old lady hobbling towards her. the old woman is flanked by two others, both grinning deviously at nayeon.

 

"we've been expecting you, my love." atropos greets, and nayeon fights the urge to swing her fists at the older goddess. her fingers twitch at her sides, and she balls them up into a fist. count to ten, momo had told her once. it helps.

 

"leave us alone," nayeon warns, scowling fiercely at the trio.

 

"it's what fate has decided, we won't leave you alone until the girl is dead." clotho hisses.

 

nayeon growls and steps forward, raising her arm to strike the older goddess. she would have, if it weren't for jihyo bursting into the room at that very moment.

 

"i knew you'd be in here trying to pick a fight," jihyo huffs, breathless and panting. "momo is asking for you."

 

that snaps nayeon out of her fury-induced haze long enough to clear her head. she lowers her fists and lets herself be tugged away by jihyo, but not before throwing several dark looks over her shoulder at the three goddesses who are retreating back into the shadows.

 

"there's always a next time," nayeon calls out threateningly to the old women. she doesn't receive any response apart from an impatient tut from jihyo, who only pulls her away faster.

 

__________________________________________

 

  
in the midst of her crying momo feels a sharp prick on her arm, then everything fades to black.

 

she comes to sometime later, disoriented and blinking rapidly to focus on the faces swimming before her.

 

"she's awake!"

 

chaeyoung perks up and waves a hand over momo's face excitedly, shouting over her shoulder at jeongyeon who's standing against the wall and peering warily at momo.

 

momo pushes herself up into a sitting position, groaning when a wave of vertigo hits her hard.

 

"where's nayeon?"

 

chaeyoung frowns.

 

"you don't remember what happened last night?"

 

momo purses her lips as she tries to recall. she finally does, and answers with a fond giggle.

 

"nayeon tried to kiss me but i didn't let her because she kisses like a fish."

 

chaeyoung is completely lost, because she's pretty sure that nayeon had done far from trying to kiss momo. she turns to jeongyeon for answers but jeongyeon is of little help. she shrugs, then leaves the bedroom to speak with the visitor waiting in the living room.

 

"what's wrong with momo?" jeongyeon asks.

 

"amnesia," asclepius answers. "probably due to trauma from the strangulation."

 

"but she remembers who we are?"

 

"it seems she's forgotten the incident that caused her trauma, and maybe a little before that as well."

 

"will she ever remember what nayeon did?"

 

"perhaps if there is a trigger that jogs her memory."

 

jeongyeon purses her lips as she processes the information. she hopes nothing ever triggers this particular memory.

 

__________________________________________

 

  
when jihyo first drags nayeon into the room, she's cautious as she approaches momo. nayeon doesn't want to frighten her but momo was far from afraid apparently, because she hops off the bed and crushes nayeon into a tight hug.

 

"i missed you," momo murmurs into nayeon's hair.

 

nayeon is startled, to say the least, and pulls away from the hug to examine the girl before her. she looks fine appearance-wise, no bruises or swelling visible to nayeon. her voice seems fine too, and nayeon is mystified until she spots asclepius in a corner.

 

that made sense, asclepius would've given momo some of her freaky magical stuff to heal her, but it doesn't explain why momo was so strangely eager to see nayeon after what she'd done.

 

nayeon exchanges a look with jihyo, who shakes her head and gestures for nayeon to go along with it. nayeon does as she's told, returning the hug with fervour.

 

"i missed you too," she whispers, lips ghosting over the shell of momo's ear and the girl shudders.

 

 **there’s** a desperation in the way she reacts, even if it’s not obvious at first. momo exhales, leaning into her touch, and it’s tinged with something more than the desperation she’d first identified. they hold each other like this, nayeon’s hands pinned on momo’s hips. it must hurt, with how hard she’s pressing, but momo doesn’t flinch or let go.

 

nayeon wouldn’t mind having this eternity, and she feels like she’s been punched. it’s not fair. life is never fair for goddesses, but this is something else. unhappiness, to have providence fail you, and the wrangling of the strings of fate is something unalienably human. to have it apply to her when she’s been dodging the displeasures of the human world for millennia — it vexes her.

 

she wonders if she was ever free. her fingers slip under momo’s shirt, press into the warm skin so hard that she knows she’ll leave marks. momo gasps, and nayeon is emboldened, possessive and territorial, the host of harsh emotions rising in her throat in a second. momo is a fledgling, earnest thing, too good for any of the tainted spirits that reside in or under olympus, and she wants to claim her, make sure she’s somewhere where she can never be hurt, the laws governing them be damned.

 

it would be so easy to just whisk momo away, to ignore everyone telling her that she can’t. she’s spent her entire existence governing the underworld as the god of death. everyone comes back to her eventually, so who is anyone to tell her what she can or can’t do?

 

she can hear jihyo shouting in her head already, she and the rest of her brethren warning her that she can’t have momo. reminding her that momo isn’t hers, and to stake her claim over her is selfish and blatantly disobedient. she thinks of the furies with their glinting teeth and eyes, their fervent warnings that this will amount to nothing, that momo belongs to them. it’s not true. it’s not true.

 

she thinks of all of them as she anchors momo to her, thinks of every warning and every monster they could unleash on her if she broke the rules, and she realizes one thing — that she doesn’t care.

 

momo is squirming in her grip now, small, wanting sounds slipping from her mouth. she looks nayeon in the eyes and whimpers, and nayeon makes up her mind.

 

“leave,” she commands, turning to glare at her sisters, not caring how unhinged she must look now. momo’s fingers secure themselves in the folds of her shirt, and really, that’s all that matters, “lock the door.”

 

her sisters make themselves scarce almost immediately, and nayeon decides that she’ll deal with the consequences later. the energy in the room is so tense it could be cut through with a knife. both of them are affected by it, momo especially. nayeon takes a moment to lean back, stare at momo and wonder just how she got here, with momo in her lap and holding onto her like she’s the last thing she wants to see.

 

momo’s the one who leans forward to kiss her, small hands carding into her hair, lips warm against her, and nayeon gasps. she hadn’t expected momo to be this forward, because maybe she’s made a few mistakes, unknowingly underestimated the sheer amount of strength and bravery momo has in her. because momo is always so understanding, so demure that nayeon had naturally assumed that she couldn’t be as forward or as formidable as her and her sisters. she was wrong, it seems. nayeon wonders what else she doesn’t know, what else she can find out.

 

momo tastes like fear and desperation and love at the same time as she kisses nayeon, teeth catching on the goddess’ bottom lip, tugging on nayeon’s hair in a way that makes nayeon choke out a moan. she’s everything nayeon wants, and the pit of her stomach burns with desire.

 

but more than being the most beautiful thing nayeon has seen in her life... momo is so brave, for holding up through the shit nayeon has put her through. she is stronger than any goddess here, stronger than nayeon herself, and nayeon’s eyes prickle with tears, with the sheer guilt of not being able to take care of momo like she wants to.

 

they break apart, momo’s lips parted slightly as she takes laboured breaths. nayeon presses forward determinedly, hands steadying momo, determined to give her everything she can. because that’s what momo deserves. nothing more, nothing less.

 

“unnie,” she whimpers, a beautiful sound as nayeon noses at her jaw, kissing and nipping when she gets to her throat. nayeon is relentless in her pursuit, biting bruises into momo’s neck and collarbones that she prays stay. she might not be able to be with momo, but this will do for the time being. everyone is going to know that momo is hers, and not anyone else’s. she’s hers she’s hers she’s hers--

 

“unnie,” momo sighs again, and nayeon is helpless, kissing at her throat to soothe the marks. they’re red, nayeon can see the beginnings of purple, and she grins. they’re still passionate, only having slowed down a little. the energy in the room positively electrifying, and nayeon nearly moans out loud when she notices the way momo is pushing her hips against nayeon’s own in some primal desperation. she’s gorgeous. gods of olympus, she’s the only thing nayeon wants to protect this bad.

 

momo helps her pull her own shirt and then nayeon’s shirt over their heads. it’s clumsy and nayeon is half-expecting herself to get caught in the fabric, but then momo is laughing, eyes wet as they kiss again. and she can’t help herself - she pushes momo down, thighs bracketing momo’s hips, and kisses her. begins to rock against her, knowing that momo can feel the heat of her core against her skin.

 

the younger girl’s eyes widen, a sharp moan falling from her lips when nayeon pauses from chasing her own pleasure (this isn’t about nayeon) to slipping a hand between her legs. there’s another mess of fabric, momo lifting her hips when nayeon growls for her to do so, and then nayeon’s working her way against momo’s heat, mouth going dry when she feels momo’s wetness.

 

“fuck,” nayeon breathes, rubbing experimentally against momo, smirking when momo whimpers and bucks up against her. she’s so needy, and nayeon wants momo to only get this way for her. “you’re so pretty.”

 

momo whines more at the praise, and nayeon is rubbing at her gently for a few minutes, murmuring praise and promises as momo begs for her to hurry up. she doesn’t take pleasure in momo’s pleads, laughing and hushing her gently, telling her to be patient. nayeon feels lost, watching momo stare up at her, lips parted, eyes half-lidded, breaths uneven.

 

she pulls away from momo, slipping her fingers into her mouth and moaning at the taste. her eyes shut of their own accord, and momo is helpless, nearly sobbing. nayeon can sense how needy she is, how badly she wants to just beg nayeon to hurry up and fuck her. but nayeon is selfish and wants to remember this moment, even if it comes down to remembering how momo tastes.

 

“you taste so fucking good,” nayeon exhales, opening her eyes and pouncing on momo.

 

two fingers slip into momo, stretch her out well before she begins pumping in and out of momo. it’s lewd, and nayeon positively revels the way momo drips onto her hand. momo lets out a surprised moan, nails digging into nayeon’s back, teeth sinking into her shoulder to muffle her sounds.

 

nayeon bears on, not letting up - not that momo wants her to - ignoring the pain in her shoulder. if anything, it spurs her on, knowing that it’ll leave a mark. it’s spitting into the faces of fate, and nayeon adds a third finger, smirking when momo ruts against her hand, crying out an unnie.

 

she breathes, grazing her teeth against the shell of momo’s ear. “so good,” she murmurs, and momo’s moans turn into shattered breaths. nayeon has to make sure she’s fine, slow down and make her beg for it before she continues, because for a moment there, she was afraid that she was hurting her.

 

(again.)

 

not for the first time, she ignores it.

 

they stay like this for a while, momo panting and grinding up against nayeon’s hand as nayeon holds her. nayeon’s fingers are soaked at this point, but she doesn’t let up, her other hand pressed against the back of momo’s neck. but it doesn’t feel like enough. she can give momo more. she wants to give her more, and prays that momo will forgive her for being so self-indulgent.

 

“promise me that you’re mine,” she growls, capturing momo’s lips in a fervent kiss before momo can respond. her hand moves to the front of momo’s throat, against the blooming bruises there, marks she left. _momo is hers_ — she presses a little harder against her neck, and momo gasps, pupils blown and begging as she looks up at nayeon.

 

there’s something else in her eyes, something registering, and nayeon is reminded of how terrified momo had looked when she woke up to nayeon’s hands around her neck, pressing, closing in. disgust fills her, and she lets go. momo knows.

 

“god, i--” nayeon chokes, “i’ll never hurt you again. i swear on the styx, gods, i’ll never hurt you again.”

 

“i know, i,” momo moans loudly, “i-i’m yours,” her hair falls over her face, and that’s what does it for nayeon. she speeds up, thrusting as hard as she can without hurting momo, determined to make momo feel good. “unnie, please, i-” her orgasm is sudden and unforgiving, and she crumples into nayeon, shivering through it and burying her face into nayeon’s neck, biting and sucking as she comes down from her high.

 

her nails press marks into nayeon’s back, and momo exhales gently, eyes half-lidded with exhaustion and pleasure. she smiles crookedly up at nayeon, thanking her softly, and this is where it hits nayeon.

 

momo is hers, was hers from the beginning, even if they didn’t know it at first. momo is hers and she’s momo’s, and she knows it wouldn’t have turned out any other way. they can talk everything out later, it doesn’t matter. it took her this long to realize it, but she’s glad. nayeon’s been searching for so long and this is the end of her journey. this is where she’s no longer the weary traveller and momo her continuously evading destiny - this is where they collide, this is when they’re fire.

 

and if momo has to burn — then nayeon will burn with **her**.

 

__________________________________________

 

  
at the age of nine momo learns that the sun will one day die.

 

she never understands it, only knows that you don't talk about death like that because her fourth grade teacher had been reprimanded for "scaring the children". momo googled it when she got home from school that day, little fingers tapping determinedly at the keyboard of her mother's laptop. the search results satisfied her, and she consoled herself with the knowledge that she had billions of years left to live.

 

billions of years is far from what she has, momo realises as she listens to the death sentence jihyo delivers sympathetically. she takes it well though, nodding sagely as she listens, and they give her credit for it. nayeon threads her fingers through momo's to still her shaking hands, thumb rubbing soothing circles into the skin. nayeon is worried of course, but momo deserves to know. she deserves this much.

 

_goddesses and mortals cannot be soulmates. the fates believe that the mortals are unworthy._

 

momo clutches nayeon's hand tighter, anchors herself to the goddess in a poor show of defiance.

 

_a goddess will kill her soulmate before the year is up._

 

momo wonders idly what day it is, she hasn't been keeping track. it didn't matter much now anyway.

 

__________________________________________

 

  
momo asks, or rather forces sana to take her to see the moirai. sana agrees reluctantly after swearing her to secrecy, because if nayeon ever found out then sana was as good as dead.

 

the dimly lit room is no more appealing to momo than it is to nayeon, with its damp walls and musky scent that hangs in the stagnant air. she sucks it up anyway, because there's something she needs to know. atropos approaches momo with glee when she calls, eyeing her as though she was a prime piece of meat.

 

"if i die, will i see her again?" momo's voice falters when she feels atropos' cold breath by her ear.

 

"there is a way," the goddess answers. "ask her to kill you, _make her,_ and you will return again having proven yourself worthy."

 

she would die either way, momo had nothing left to lose. she turns away with her mind made up, about to leave when atropos catches her hand.

 

"if you forget her in your next life, you will never be together."

 

__________________________________________

 

it's a private affair.

 

momo embraces nayeon, planting chaste kisses on the latter's lips. nayeon's tears wet her face, and momo reaches up to wipe them off with a soft laugh. she hands nayeon the knife, taking a last look around her as she does. it's comforting in a morbid kind of way, dying in her own home.

 

"i love you."

 

"i'll come back to you soon."

 

another kiss. nayeon's silent sniffles escalates into broken sobs, harsh sounds that tug at momo's heartstrings. she brushes back stray strands of hair from nayeon's face, quietly reminding her that this isn't a defeat. that this isn't goodbye, they're forging a new fate for themselves despite the odds. just a brief intermission before they meet again.

 

momo guides her gently, sinking the blade into the space above her hips with a gasp. nayeon does her part, dragging the metal across skin and muscle, digging deep into flesh and opening gashes in her lover's body. she's beautiful, and nayeon tells her as much. momo whimpers, shuddering as their bodies turn slick with blood.

 

dying feels nothing like what momo thinks it would be. there isn't a flash of memories through her mind, no great white light to swallow her whole. it takes her silently, like the relaxing of tense muscles, easing into a giant soft blanket with nayeon's arms around her. there is no pain, only the gentle exhalation of breath that leaves her lungs. she's completely at peace now, eyes fluttering shut when nayeon leans in to press feather-light kisses to her forehead.

 

 _remember_ , she tells herself as she slips away, body going slack against nayeon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm finally done with the fic!! it's been so fun writing it & thank you to everyone who left kudos, comments or bookmarked the fic i appreciate it a lot :^)


	10. epilogue : uneven odds

“you’re fucking crazy,” jeongyeon shakes her head incredulously. “this is the worst idea you’ve ever had, and keep in mind that you once decided to kidnap a goddess’s fucking daughter.”

 

nayeon isn’t listening. she twirls once more in front of the mirror, admiring the way she looks.

 

“school uniforms are a good look on me,” she remarks. “it distracts me from the fact that i’m about two millennia old.”

 

jeongyeon scoffs, ever the down to earth one. (quite literally, since they’re in nayeon’s underworld home)

 

“you have to be fucking kidding me.”

 

nayeon turns, wearing an appropriately hurt expression on her face, hand on her heart. “goddesses don’t curse. it’s unbecoming.”

 

“you’re missing the point! this is a bad idea.”

 

“jihyo is okay with it, i asked her myself.”

 

“she’s just tired of seeing you mope around. it’s been decades nayeon, you’ve got to get over it, get over momo.”

 

nayeon’s face falls and she deflates at the mention of momo’s name, suddenly losing all the excitement she had earlier.

 

nayeon thinks back to the first time she’d tracked momo down, a little girl living in the rural japanese countryside with her mother. their family wasn’t well off, and nayeon poses as a kindly neighbour, dropping in on them with food and clothing from time to time. it was a harsh and bitter winter that year, one that saw the mother and her daughter unable to step foot out of their home.

 

nayeon selfishly chose to escape from it, seeking solace in the comfort of her own underworld home instead. she came by the little girl’s house less often that winter, but as if by some cruel twist of fate she’s there to watch ten year old momo take in her last ragged breath before succumbing to pneumonia.

 

it haunts her, the way momo holds onto nayeon’s forearm, fingers cold and stiff as they press into the sharp contrast of her warm skin. there's a faint tinge of blue under her skin, as though she has already given up. momo's breath rattles in her chest, coming out in short puffs that can be seen in the cold air. the little girl is pale and frail-looking, holds barely any strength left in her body, but she looks up at nayeon with earnest eyes, a striking dark brown that shines with tears. (the very same way they did when she parted with nayeon many lifetimes ago.)

 

“thank you for taking care of my mother and i for all these years, nayeon-san.” 

 

momo’s mother cries in nayeon’s arms that night, blaming herself for being unable to get the girl to a doctor in time. nayeon weeps too. the loss, along with the knowledge that she could have done something more if it were not for her own selfishness, was too much for her to bear.

 

it’s this very memory that hurts nayeon the most, and she vows to never let momo down like that again.

 

“i can’t lose her again,” nayeon whispers, voice cracking as she swallows thickly through the lump in her throat. “i have to at least _try_.”

 

jeongyeon softens, she never liked seeing nayeon like this.

 

“okay,” jeongyeon sucks in a shaky breath, shutting her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose to ground her, to force her to think carefully about this. “okay. i’ll help you.”


End file.
